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Senior outside hitter Michelle McDonough has been selected as ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s nominee for the 2011 America East Woman of the Year award. The honor recognizes the conference’s senior female student-athlete who has best distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership.

McDonough graduated last May with a degree in mathematics and secondary education. She is currently working on her master’s degree in mathematics adolescence education.

McDonough, a two-time team captain, helped lead the Bearcats to their second America East championship in 2009 and has advanced to the America East tournament each of her four years at Binghamton. She is a two-time Binghamton Female Athlete of the Year award winner and was named a SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete in 2008. She led the Bearcats to more than 60 wins in her stellar four-year career.

During the 2010 season, McDonough amassed 392 kills on her way to setting Binghamton’s all-time kills record with 1,469, breaking Michele Heck’s record of 1,445 set in 2004. McDonough’s 3.88 kills per set was tops in the conference, and she finished second in points per set with 4.28. She also ranks third in school history in kills per set (3.49) and fifth in digs (1,078), making her the third Bearcat ever to finish her career with over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. This past fall, McDonough was named to the America East All-Conference First Team for the third consecutive season.

Following the 2010 season, McDonough was named America East Scholar-Athlete in her respective sport for her diligence in the classroom. She is a three-time America East All-Academic Team selection, the second-ever in the conference, and was inducted into the National College Athlete Honors Society in 2009.

In the community, McDonough has donated her time to various organizations and charities as well as served her University. She is a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Institute (SALI) and served on the Intercollegiate Athletics Board (IAB). She worked as a mentor for the Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier, COMPEER Program, while coaching a local youth club volleyball team. She also volunteered with Gear-Up, a program that assigns tutors to classrooms in low-income schools, the Multiple Sclerosis Walk, various volleyball camps and Relay for Life.

In conjunction with the changes in the nomination process for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the America East Woman of the Year award was established for the 2005-06 athletic season. Beginning in 2006, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) started receiving conference-designated nominees in lieu of the previous institution- and state-based nomination format.

The 2011 America East Woman of the Year finalists will be announced Wednesday, May 25 with the winner being chosen at the conference’s annual meeting in Lake Placid, on Tuesday, June 7, as well as via a news release on .

The America East Woman of the Year will then be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will select the top 10 winners in each NCAA division (I, II and III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the CWA will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year.